Twin Houses

These two houses aren't exacly twins, but in the Old West End on Jefferson Avenue, these two hosues stick out as having some unique architecture. The details are what really distinguish themselves. Notice the use of the lighter coloured bricks above the windows in the house on the right and the multi-leveled green roof in the house on the left.

Fixer-Upper

Many (Dare I say most?) of the houses in Danville are in poor shape. Years of neglect and a relatively stagnant economy have led to abandomnent, condemning, and blight. There are, however, here and there, spots of houses being renovated and returned to their once former glory. This house on Green Street, about a block behind the museum, is currently undergoing those changes. Although, I somehow doubt it was originally purple. Not my choice for a house color, but it certainly does stand out!

Layers of History

I absolutely love this photo. There are four different paving styles that have been uncovered by the lack of upkeep on this road. Original abstractly-cut cobblestones, local straightforward brick, and two types of asphalt. As the years have gone by, the new has given a peek at the old. I wonder how many people have walked upon all the years of history here.

Highway

Sorry about the radio silence the past few weeks. But Danville Daily Photo is back up and running with a bunch of new pictures. Like this one.

There is a "central artery" that runs through Danville called, appropriately, Central Boulevard. It funnels most of the North-South traffic in the town onto this relatively new highway. A very important throughway for the city.

The Door of Mystery

I really liked the contrast of the green door with the old red brick surrounding it. It reminds me in a way of this house in Seattle. Located near the Warehouse District, there is a U-shaped cut out in one of the buildings that reveals this door and the alternating windows. I wonder what (if anything) is inside?

Going Postal

Above you have the Danville Post Office and Courthouse. There is, of course, another courthouse in Danville (which we will see someday in the future), but this one is particularly imposing. It has that sort of early to mid- 20th Century architecture feel but it also shows something particular to Danville. If you look at the bottom you'll notice that the lines at the top of the roof (that I guarantee are very straight) do not match the lines of the foad and the staircase. Danville is actually a quite hilly town. As you get closer and closer to the river, there are steep grades that severely impede the ability of a nice straight skyline in the downtown area. I'm sure that you could stand on the tallest buildling near the river and still not be above the height of the top of the hill at the southern edge of downtown. This makes for some awkward looking pictures and some great leg workouts (if desired or not).

Fire! (Escape)

One thing I wondered when I was a kid (ok, and also up until a few years ago until the answer dawned on me) was why some gorgeous buildings with ornate architecture have these hideous fire escapes that cover all of it up. Look around Chicago, New York, Boston...tons of old buildings that have their façades completely ruined with ugly steel staircases and pseudo-balconies. It wasn't until I was walking around New York one day that I realized they were never intented to be there in the first place.

I know this is probably not the biggest shock to most intelligent beings, but it just (for whatever reason) had never occured to me that these buildings were not built with fire safety precautions in mind like so many of our modern buildings are. Hence, ugly steel additions that break up the glory of the original building's front.

This building may not be the prettiest, but the fire escape now does lend it a little extra something that is almost ubiquitous in city architecture these days.

Fenced In

Nothing special for today, just a faux wrought iron fence surrounding the local Epsicopilian Church and the private school that is attached to it. All in all it's a pretty large complex on the corner of Main St and Jefferson Avenue just south of Downtown.

Bringing Back The Past, One (Cobble)Stone at a Time

Cobblestones line Bridge Street in the slowly revitalizing Warehouse District. I honestly am not sure if these are new stones or if they are older original ones that have just been stripped of the asphalt that was lain on top of it--as many cities have started to do to bring back some of their older "charm". I do like the look of the street with these stones and I'm a fan of bringing back cobblestones to areas you want to make more walkable and pedestrian friendly.

SCIENCE!

The Danville Science Center is one of those interactive Science Museums that are geared mainly for children. I've yet to go in, but this very modern building sits in what is becoming Danville's cultural center. It's here that the Riverwalk Trail starts, the outdoor concert venue is located, the train station, the repurposed warehouses as luxury condos have gone up, the Farmer's Market takes place, and the Amtrak train stops by. It's really a crossroads for a lot of Cultural Danville.

Bridge....Not.

What looks like a cool archway to invite you to walk or drive across the Worsham Street Bridge is...well a bit of a misnomer. You see, there is no bridge.

The Worsham Street Bridge opened back in the early 1920s (I believe). And even then it was frought with fundamental structural problems. It finally closed a few years ago and they erected this archway in somewhat of a memorial of the once popular bridge. It connected residential areas on the north shore of the Dan to the warehouses and factories on the south shore. The residences still stand--and are much quieter since the closing of the bridge--but the warehouses and factories on the south side have been quiet for decades now. The proximity of the Main Street Bridge (only a couple blocks to the west) made the destruction of the aged Worsham Street Bridge that much easier.

Head Toward The Light!

Today I'm showing you an entirely different tunnel/walkway than yesterday's photo. Off Main Street there is a building that has been in the process of renovation ever since I moved here. (I'm sure the current recession isn't helping to speed it along.) This is a tunnel on the sidewalk that's just created with some 2x4s and plywood to let pedestrians walk along the sidewalk and not into the road. Not super fancy, but then how could you make one of these fancy?

Courtyard Entrance

On my never-ending quest to find good photos of Danville, I found myself walking by an area in the Tobacco Warehouse District where some friends of mine used to live. I loved the little walkway under here that opened up to a nice courtyard. This old warehouse building has been converted into luxury condos that really are pretty nice. They saved a lot of the old wood and doorways so you can really admire the historic building while you cook on your new granite countertops under the modern light fixtures. The entire building--inside and out--is a great combination of old and new together. It reminds me a bit of Europe, actually...

Church...Psych!

This is the Main Street Methodist Church in Danville....sort of.

In reality, this is no longer a church but the Danville Main Street Preservation Center (the tower and building in the background) which it shares with the DEACC (Danville Education, Arts, and Cultural Center). The old church is really a beautiful building and reminds me a lot of certain areas in London and the UK. What do you think?